Greetings Riders,
Well, the first thing I have to say is Go Cardinals! It
is very exciting to have the home town football team in the Super Bowl, especially given the "Cinderella"
fashion in which they got there. Four weeks ago no one would have picked them for the biggest game on the planet.
But the fact that they made it will definitely give the upcoming Super Bowl parties a little more meaning in this
State. Go Cards!
As you probably know, I am always looking for things to write about in the newsletter.
Some things I find are informative, some things are fun, and some things I hoped that I would never have
to write about. Unfortunately, this week is the latter. This past
Saturday, Mrs. C. and I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather to get in some local riding. Our first
stop was Chester's HD for breakfast at their Morning Roast and Rumble event. Then a stop at Hacienda
to see the new Motorclothes building before making our way to the Barrett Jackson auto auction and a
walk down memory lane viewing the old muscle cars.
It was a great day of riding, enjoying the 78 degree weather and the old cars, but at about 6:15pm it was time to make our 25 mile ride back to the
West side. The night was beautiful and all was well... until in a split second, all wasn't well anymore. A
young girl driving a car while probably playing with her phone, changed our plans for the rest of the evening.
We made the turn off of the major street onto a lightly traveled
feeder street that takes us to our housing area. We slowed
down to make a left turn onto our street when I heard a deafening sound of tires screeching right behind us.
I couldn't imagine what it was, or why it was. It is a short street and I really couldn't imagine anyone getting
up that kind of speed to even skid that far.
Just as I looked to my right to determine what was going on, I saw the impact of an
old white Nissan car crash into the rear of Mrs. C's VROD, launching her and the bike forward as parts seemingly
exploded in every direction. She did a Superman as she flew about 15
feet in the air off the left side of the bike while the Vrod came to rest on its right side.
It all happened very quick, but it seemed like an eternity for me as I helplessly was watching my Wife of
27 years being launched in the air headed face first for asphalt, not knowing what the outcome was going to be.
It was an absolute surreal experience as I watched all of this unfold right in front
of my eyes, while having no means to help or alter
the outcome. I always try to protect her as much as I can when riding by putting her in safest riding position,
but in this case, fortunately for Mrs. C. it was out of my hands and into the hands of a higher power.
She flew off the bike like a stuntwoman with her hands straight out to break the fall and then rolling
out of it. She seemed to be set down as gently as possible escaping the accident with a couple of banged
up knees, bruised rear end, sore neck from the whiplash of the collision and a slight scrape and
bump on the head. All in all, extremely blessed considering the circumstances. The girl left 70 feet of initial skid
marks, a 4 foot gap and then 15 additional feet after impact. I don't know the calculation on the speed, but I
would guess that it was much more than the 30 mph posted.
My emotions were torn between shock about what I was seeing, gut wrenching concern for
Mrs. C. and rage at the driver of the car all at the same time. I immediately
shut off my bike, screaming to the girl, Why didn't you stop? As I was running over to see how Mrs.
C. was. Remarkably, she stood up, brushed herself off and asked what the heck just happened. Other than the sound
of the tires, we had no idea this was coming. I called 911 and the Peoria Police were there within 1 min. The
fire and paramedic's were shortly behind. With the elevated blood pressure, as you could imagine, and the trauma
on the body of that kind of a jolt, they sent her to the hospital for examination. She was released about 90 minutes
later and we were on our way back home. It was a miracle she was not hurt worse than she was.
When I later asked the 18 year old girl why she didn't stop, she
said her brakes were not working right. The 70 foot of skid marks makes me think otherwise. My hunch is that she
was both speeding and most likely texting or dialing her cell phone, and when she looked up, it was too late to
stop. No matter how safe of riders we try to be, it is real hard to control the cars behind you that are not watching
where they are going.
Whatever the reasons, we are thankful that she did at least hit the brakes long enough
to get slowed down so that it was not any worse than it was. You've
probably seen the sticker that says, "Don't Ride Faster Than Your Angels Can Fly". Mrs. C. definitely
had her Angels safely in tow that night when they were called to duty. Amen to that! As a loving husband and riding
partner, that is an image I do not want to witness again. Thank God this had a happy ending.
As for Mrs. C, she is a trooper. She said
that if the bike were ride-able, she is ready to get back on the horse as soon as she can. For me, it might take
a little while to get that image out of my head.
Bike Nights This Week
Wednesday Night
Sandbar Mexican Grill Wednesday Bike Night. Ride by the Sandbar Mexican Grill this Wednesday night where the patio instantly sweeps you away to a tropical island paradise as thatch and tin roofs cover the bar. Sit on one of the many high topped tables on the sandy beach or sit at the palapa bar outside and watch TV while listening to music. Or go inside to the dining area featuring a huge bar with 30 HDTV's to choose from around the room all decorated in an island beach theme. Sandbar has a great menu of Mexican food and will be featuring build your own burrito's for $5.00. Choose any ingredients you want off the menu, pack them into your burrito all for $5.00. There will also be $2.00 off ALL Drinks which makes domestic bottles $2.00 and Margarita's $4.00. Ride by this Wednesday night to check out the Sandbar Wednesday Bike Night. Motorcycle Parking Only will be blocked off in front of the restaurant. Click Here to see Photos and details. Click Here for Sandbar Web Site.
Thursday Night
Dirty Doggs Thursday Bike Night presented by Renegade Classics. The Dirty Dogg Saloon and Renegade Classics of Phoenix announce the start of a Thursday
Night Bike Night called Holiday Happy Hour’s for the month of December.
Each week a lucky winner will receive a Renegade Classics Gift Certificate along with door prizes, drink specials
and of course the Dirty Dog Girls. The hours are 8-10; the Dirty Dog is located on the Southeast Corner of
Shea and Scottsdale Road –480-368-8095. Renegade Classics is located at 3102 East Cactus Road in Phoenix
and more information can be seen at www.renegadephoenix.com.
Chester's
Harley-Davidson Bike Night at Dos Gringos Mesa. Ride by the New Dos Gringos
Mesa located on the northwest corner of Greenfield and Baseline in Mesa. Dos
is sure to make an impact and add some flare to the east valley. Enormous patio, complete with its own outdoor
bar and separate dining areas on each side. Dos is a casual neighborhood hangout with great food and cold cervezas.
Feel free to dine at one of our four tops, relax at one of the booths lining the edge or just belly up to the bar.
Click Here
to View. There will be drink and food specials and Raffles
and Fun from Chester's Harley-Davidson. Ride with Chester's from the dealership at 5:30pm every Thursday located
at 922 S. Country Club Dr. in Mesa. 480-894-0404.
The
Bike Night At The Billet Bar. Voted
"BEST BIKER BAR IN PHOENIX" by New Times. There is no better place to watch all the Bikes ride down Scottsdale road than from
The Billet Bar Patio. The
Billet is ALWAYS packed with bikes Every Day. Stop by and take a look at the New Flamed Booths
on the Paradise Patio. The new bars front and rear provide spacious seating, fresh air atmosphere, perfect temperature
and courteous staff. The food is amazing and always the latest in cold libations await. You can sit at the back
bar and watch your favorite TV on any of the seven big inch televisions. Play pool, listen to the latest music
and socialize. The front patio seats over 75 people and is perfect for people watching on Scottsdale Rd. The Billet
Bar is located on 3752 N. Scottsdale Rd. Check it out this Thursday night and all weekend long. Info: at 480-941-1876.
Click Here
for the New Billet Bar Page with pictures.
This Week
Bikers Bay Get Ready For Summer Sale. NOW is the time to get your bike ready for the riding season! Through the end of January, Biker's Bay is offering the 5k and 10k Interval Services which include full synthetic performed by our factory trained technicians at only $179.95 for any bike. Need Parts? Check out the Bikers Bay Inventory Clearance Sale at all 3 valley locations. ALL orange dots or Clearance Table are 20% to 30% Off. We have chrome, accessories and tires marked down to get you started for the first of the year. Need help installing your new parts? Bring them to the experts at Bikers Bay who can do it for you. We are also announcing that we will honor the Harley-Davidson Tire Warranty Program underwritten by CNA. Stop in for the details, you'll be glad you did! Stop by or call any of the Bikers Bay 3 locations in the Phoenix area. Phoenix Location is 2530 E. Bell Rd. in Phoenix, 602-923-0114. Mesa - 1355 S. Country Club, 480-421-1404. Glendale - 5670 N. 51st Ave., 623-842-8580. Tell them you saw this on Cyclerides.com to receive the discounts. More information on www.mybikersbay.com .
Next Week
Saturday, January 31st
Arrowhead Harley-Davidson
Free Appreciation Breakfast. Taking
a ride Saturday morning? Stop by Arrowhead HD for a free breakfast on your way out of town. Arrowhead Harley-Davidson wants to invite EVERYONE to a customer appreciation breakfast on the last Saturday of every month from 8:30am
till 10:00 am. Join us for a FREE pancake, sausage and egg breakfast served up by Big D's Flippin Cakes. Thank
you for all your support and business! Ride by Arrowhead Harley-Davidson the last Saturday of Every Month for a
free breakfast. Arrowhead Harley-Davidson is located at 16130 N. Arrowhead Fountain Center Dr. in Peoria.
623-247-5542.
Saturday, January 31st
Buddy
Stubbs Take-off Parts Blowout! These events don't come around very often,
but when they do, you can really find some good deals! Buddy Stubbs
is bringing out the Valley's biggest selection of take-off Harley-Davidson parts. Make a deal on the spot with
Buddy! Huge savings off of retail and a chance to put the finishing touches on your bike. Also find some great
deals on General Merchandise. To celebrate, we will have live music, free food and drinks and museum tours. There
will also be a General Merchandise blowout!! Cash only for take-off parts. ATM on-site. Call 602-971-3400 or go
to www.buddystubbshd.com for details.
Extras
SET YOUR VIDEO RECORDERS!!
For TV3 Wednesday, January 21st at 9pm. Phoenix Magazine did a feature
article in the coming February issue about the Top 5 Motorcycle Rides in State of Arizona. TV 3 wanted to preview
the magazine with a story of their own. So we shot a real nice piece Tuesday about Motorcycling in Arizona
that will air on Wednesday night on the TV3 9:00 evening news at around 9:30 pm Check it out!
I would like to give an "Atta Boy" to George Bush for commuting the sentences
of former Border patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean on his
last day in office. After a nationwide outcry for the release of these 2 men who most feel were wrongfully accused
and imprisoned, Bush did the right thing to bring these 2 men back to their families. I'm sure there will be a
big welcome home party for these guys.
I can never get enough of bad guys getting blown up by our military in helicopters.
The technology is incredible. Click Here to View.
You have seen this guy before, but he performs some of the best illusions of just about anyone out there right now. Watch Chris Angel perform his latest in
Las Vegas. Listen to the reaction of the crowd. Click Here to View.
Note to self. Don't let a blonde install the cat door to
your residence. Click Here to View.
Here is another beer commercial that drives home the point. Everyone
knows that women get excited about a large shoe closet. See what excites the guys. Click Here to View.
Seriously doubt this is real. But it is a
real good way to get a ride to the poky. Click Here to View.
Until Next Week,
Blessings and Safe Riding To All,
Barry Caraway
"The Road Is Yours - Take The Ride"
www.cyclerides.com
info@cyclerides.com
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